Area residents pore over the portraits of the 157 fallen Canadian Forces personnel who have been killed during the Afghanistan mission. The travelling display stopped briefly in Vermilion Bay, Sept. 29. Photo by Chris Marchand

A powerful mixture of loss, pride and patriotic sentiment flowed through like electricity through crowd of over 200 as artist Dave Sopha and Machin Mayor Gord Dingman dropped the curtain.

Area legion members came to full attention, arms snapping in salute to the 157 faces — images of each and every one of Canada’s fallen soldiers in the Afghanistan conflict rendered in oil.

Presented by Kin Canada and Vermilion Bay Kinsmen and Kinettes, the Portraits of Honour tractor-trailer bearing the large mural made its only stop between Winnipeg and Thunder Bay at Vermilion Bay’s Fort Vermilion, Sept. 29.

A member of the Machin Air Cadets mans a post as honour guard during the unveiling of the large portrait of Canada's fallen soldiers in the Afghanistan conflict. Photo by Chris Marchand

Cambridge, Ontario artist Dave Sopha says he was compelled to begin the piece after hearing of the death of Canada’s 99th, 100th and 101st soldiers.

Sopha says the experience of seeing the sum total of Canada’s losses is a powerful experience for many people.

“When you look at that many young faces it’s pretty emotional,” he says. “When you meet the families, it’s even more so. I’ve learned over the past four months that I don’t just let them cry and walk away. Now I ask them for stories about their loved ones, their nicknames, what they’ve done. The families leave with the feeling that I’ve kept their children alive.”

Sopha adds that in the 60 or so hours he’s spent on each portrait, he feels as though he’s formed a relationship with each fallen soldier.

“I feel like they’re my buddies,” he said. “You get to know them. Looking into those eyes you do get a feeling of what they were like. I told one wife of a soldier how I felt about her husband and she told me I ‘hit it right on the head’.”

Dryden Legion Branch #63 President Pat Alberts says he was deeply moved by the presentation.

“This gentleman has done our country an honour,” said Alberts. “It’s the most amazing thing anyone could do to recognize what our soldiers have done. It was very emotional.”

The event was attended by schoolchildren from Lillian Berg School and preceded by a colour guard from local members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #63 and regional military personnel. Machin air cadets held honour guard posts on each end of the stage.

Representatives from the Vermilion Bay Lions Club and the MNR Dryden Fire Centre were on hand to present donations to Portraits of Honour.

By Chris Marchand